


Paws & You

by flemoncake



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluffy, Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, gendrya gift exchange, gendrya gift exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:00:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28513821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flemoncake/pseuds/flemoncake
Summary: Two years ago Nymeria had to be put down.Arya is leading a quiet life on the country side working through her grief of losing her dear companion.Help comes from someone she tries to forget - her brother's childhood friend - and when he offers her a new perspective on life she happily takes it.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 23
Kudos: 92
Collections: Gendrya Gift Exchange 2020





	1. Paws

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheReluctantBadger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheReluctantBadger/gifts).



> My gift for TheReluctantBadger for the Gendrya Gift Exchange 2020!
> 
> I'm so sorry this took me so long, Badge! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and also wishing you a happy new year!

It’s been two years. She is gone. Nymeria is dead.

Arya is in bed, laying on her side, the covers pulled up to her chin to block out the cold air in her bedroom. Only weak rays of light penetrate through the curtains in front of the window and a glance at her narrow watch shows her that she does not have to get up yet.  
It would have been different then. Back then, she couldn't have stayed in bed on the weekend as long as she pleased or until she could motivate herself to start the day.

_Back then, the quick scraping of paws off the parquet would have woken her, the dull sound of paws on the carpeted wooden staircase that led up to her bedroom. She would have waited with a smile on her face until Nymeria's soft snout had pushed open the green-painted wooden door and their eyes met, gray on blue, and then she would have gripped the bedspread tightly with a dramatic "Nymeria not again, stop it already! How did you get the door open again? ”and Nymeria would have whined and then grabbed the blanket with her mouth and pulled it carefully but without mercy from Arya's grip. Arya would have sat up, sent Nymeria out with mock indignation, and then jumped up to close the window.  
Then she would have climbed the steep wooden stairs and patted Nymeria waiting in the kitchen between the ears and muttered "Good girl, Nym, thanks for waking me up" while she put on water for coffee. Arya loved the bitch's soft fur. Nymeria would have closed her blue eyes contentedly and pressed against Arya's fingers before trotting to her food bowl and looking at Arya expectantly.  
This game between them took place every morning.  
Nymeria and Arya had been inseparable for 15 years. As a young girl she had often gone on weekend hikes with her brother Jon and they had found Ghost and Nymeria on one of these trips, in a ditch, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, no trace of owners or a mother dog. They had taken the two pups home with them and were inseparable from then on. _

Now Arya can decide for herself. No more scratching, no more pulling the covers off her.  
In the kitchen she sits alone on the wooden bench in the corner table group and drinks her coffee. She no longer hears satisfied chewing coming from the niche next to the refrigerator.  
Arya's gaze wanders exactly there. There they still sit on the floor, a light blue food bowl and next to it a white marble bowl. Not far away, next to the large white and green marbled stove, lies the cozy dog blanket that Nymeria had loved so much. It was her regular place in the cozy hut which Arya had bought after completing her studies. Close to the stove, warm and comfortable and with a good view of the kitchen and living room, into which the kitchen merges. If Arya turns her gaze there, there will be no one left.

It's been two years now. Two years since Nymeria was gone. Arya hadn't brought herself to throw Nymeria's things away. It still hurts too much.

While Arya sips her coffee, her gaze wanders first to the calendar on the kitchen wall and then out of the window.  
Sansa had given her the calendar as a present, she had made it together with Finn, Arya's sweet nephew - Sansa had pasted photos next to the days of the month and Finn had drewn a chaos of lines next to them. The photos show mostly Finn, sometimes Sansa or Harry. The picture book family - all three beautiful and with fiery, red hair and a hearty laugh.

Today is Saturday, December 20th. The photo next to the days of December: A shining Christmas tree and underneath an even more shining Finn, who is just tearing the printed wrapping paper from a brightly painted wooden locomotive, Nymeria lies next to him and watches him carefully.

Arya swallows. The memory of that Christmas is still fresh in her memory. She has been dreading this day. December 20th. On December 20th exactly two years ago she had let Nymeria go.

The view out of the window shows her that it had snowed overnight, just like the last few days. The rolling hills in front of the kitchen window look like they are wrapped in cotton wool and a peaceful atmosphere hangs over the landscape.

Arya loves to be outdoors and adores the quiet of country life.

_It wasn't an impulsive decision after all that she decided to leave her life in the lively city behind and move to the countryside. It had been convenient for college, but Arya had grown up in Winterfell, far from everything. In a large stately mansion, which has been in the family for generations, with extensive lands, hunting grounds - a paradise for young people to grow up and a wonderful place for a dog.  
Just as Arya's heart longed for the endless space and silence, Nymeria didn't feel comfortable in the city either, Arya knew that. Whenever the university vacation season allowed, she packed her things in the car and drove to Jon's house._

_After Eddard Stark died in a car accident 14 years ago, Arya's mother Cateyln could no longer stand the big house. Every room and every corner reminded her of her deceased husband.  
The family moved out and the big old house stood empty until after years Jon gave up his post in the north and came back to Winterfell with Ygritte and filled the house with life again and finally with three adorable girls._

_Of course the house was still absurdly large and there was no end to space, so Arya could sleep in her old room every time she visited. Every morning she woke up in a good mood and the sight of the endless meadows in front of the house instead of the bare concrete walls - that she could see at home in her small city apartment - had filled her with happiness.  
Actually it was Jon’s idea to look around for a place to live in the area when she liked the countryside so much better. No sooner said than done and before completing her studies, she found her new home: a cozy hut only 10 minutes by car from Winterfell.  
The owner had recently renovated the hut for his own daughter, but towards the end of the renovation she had apparently met the love of her life in the south and moved away, luckily for Arya, who immediately fell in love with the dark wood and the huge fireplace in the living room. And so, after graduation, Arya had moved into the cabin with Nymeria.  
She had lived and worked here for almost 4 years now._

The snow crunches under her thick winter boots as her steps lead her towards the forest. The forest is not far away, it can be reached via a field behind the hut and can be seen from Arya's bedroom window. In summer the cows are grazing in the neighbour's field and are just as much a part of the idyllic view as the forest. But now the fields are empty, but covered with snow, the cows are in the warm stables and the view of the fir trees on the edge of the forest is free.

She reaches the forest and automatically turns onto the path to the old pine tree - one of Nymeria's and her favorite spots.  
She rarely visits this place since Nymeria's death. But today it feels right. Of course, it feels right today when Arya is honest with herself, she thinks as she struggles through the undergrowth that surrounds the beaten path that the promenade turns into if you turn a little earlier into the forest. After all, it is December 20th and her and Nym’s favourite spot, where else should she go on this day?

Snow trickles from the branches, which she pushes aside and lands on her hair. The trail takes on an incline and the snow has made it icy and slippery in places.  
Arya has to concentrate on every step and only at the end of the path, just before the clearing where the huge trunk of the broad pine tree lies, does she look up.

She is not the only one who had the idea to visit this remote place this morning. A tall man with broad shoulders is sitting on the fallen trunk of the old pine tree. His gaze is averted and he seems to be observing something on the other side of the clearing that Arya cannot see.  
When she finally steps into the clearing, the snow crunches under her feet and the man looks up. Stormy dark blue meets calm gray. Arya feels the warmth spreading through her cheeks and a surge of security and excitement grips her at the same time.

"What a nice surprise", Gendry shouts and smiles at her at the same time as Arya thinks "Not really" and to her own amazement she is still surprised.

This day has started very peacefully and the somersault her stomach makes when he waves at her guarantees her that this is about to change. Not in a negative way. Meeting Gendry Waters unexpectedly or even half unexpectedly is her favourite thing, ever. Not that she would admit it to herself, ever.

“Gendry. Hey, yes, that's actually a surprise", she says and now smiles too.  
She brushes her face free of the hair full of snowflakes and hopes the wind will cool her red cheeks.

Gendry looks the same as always - a light beard, faded jeans, hoodie and a light brown quilted jacket over it. His strong hands are in black woolen gloves and his dark hair is covered by a simple black cap, which is the only way to tell the difference to his appearance on warmer days. "Unbelievable, it is freezing cold and he looks like there’s just a light wind blowing in autumn" Arya thinks to herself.

He gets up from his seat and walks towards her with long strides. At a respectful distance he stops and waits.  
Arya doesn't move, but she smiles so Gendry spreads his arms and after a moment's hesitation Arya lets herself be hugged. They've known each other for a while, and yet they haven't figured out the best way to greet each other.

Arya wonders why, because his arms around her slim body give her a wonderful feeling of security and she allows herself to press her head against his chest for a moment and inconspicuously inhale the smell of his clothes.  
He smells of pine needles, fresh hay and something that she only associates with Gendry.  
"Just like back then", she thinks and at that very moment Gendry presses her a little tighter and Arya thinks she can hear him take a deep breath when he brushes her head with his chin.

Then he lets go of her. Their eyes meet briefly in a gaze only to shoot apart, embarrassed.

Gendry clears his throat.  
"December 20th isn't it? Actually I shouldn't be surprised," he muses and now he looks at her again, there is warm sympathy in his blue eyes.  
"Or should I?", he adds in a tone in his voice that makes Arya sit up and take notice. Now she finds something else in his gaze and if Arya hadn't been sure that she wished it that way, she would have said, he looks at her hopefully.

The cool wind on her cheeks doesn't help and Arya pretends to stamp snow off her boots to hide her embarassment and to distract herself before she dares to look at him again. Gendry looks at her expectantly and now Arya is sure that she didn't imagine the latter. She sees his open, trusting look as an invitation to comment on either or neither of his statements.

Arya hesitantly remains silent and then decides to give a curt nod before she begins to stammer something incoherent.

Gendry shrugs his shoulders and starts brushing snow from his clothes, avoiding her gaze. Arya watches him curiously. _Is he nervous?_  
"And you? What do you happen to be doing here today?", she asks.

He stands up and then scratches his head, still a little embarrassed. Then he laughs.  
"Okay, I'll admit I'm not here by accident. I supposed that you come here on this day and I thought I would try my luck. In fact, that's why I'm here, and I've been freezing my ass off for a while."

"Why don't you just come over?" asks Arya with a laugh. "I'm always at home anyway and you know where I live."

Gendry's gaze twitches to hers for a moment and this time Arya is sure that there is more to it than mere compassion for this day of the year for her. There is something stormy in the blue, but the moment is over immediately.

"Because I didn't know whether you would like me to suddenly be at your door or get in touch with you. I know that this day cannot be easy for you and I didn't mean to disturb you. Although of course I'm there for you!" he adds hastily. "I just didn't know ... I wanted to, so I even asked Jon ...", he's pushing around.

Arya realizes that by deciding to bump into her here in the clearing, he is giving her the choice of whether or not to speak to him. He knows her well enough to know that she wouldn't shut the door in his face or push his number away. His respect and care for her well-being ensures for even more warmth in her cheeks and especially in the pit of her stomach.

Gendry clears his throat again and breaks the silence.  
"You see, it was important for me to see you today because I need you to meet somebody", says Gendry and pulls Arya out of her thoughts. He indicates her to follow him.

"Whom do you mean? There's nobody here", Arya can't see anyone and looks up at him, confused. But Gendry grins and then he sticks his fingers in his mouth and whistles.

A rustling on the other side of the clearing causes Arya's gaze to snap in the direction and when Gendry whistles next to her again, something rises behind a bush.  
She takes a closer look and it is - a beautiful gray, brown and white young husky who is now happily running towards her.  
Arya takes off the gloves and stretches out her hands and the dog sniffs her hand before pressing its head against it and allowing Arya to scratch the fur.  
"Who are you, sweetling?" she whispers and kneels next to the dog.  
With pricked ears and wagging tail, the animal runs up and down in front of her and then comes back next to her and to be petted extensively by her. The dog presses its head to Arya’s cheek and licks her face. Laughing, she hugs the animal and lays her head against the soft fur.

Arya’s heart is glowing.

She has not cuddled a dog since Nymeria’s death for fear of it opening her wounds again.

_The euthanasia was not unexpected and followed many visits to the doctor. Nymeria had already been an old lady and had suffered greatly from her old teeth. Arya had had a few weeks to get used to the idea of letting her go, having a good time with her friend and saying goodbye. And yet, the pain is still deep and now, exactly one year later, just before Christmas, this last trip to the vet feels very fresh and alive in her memory._

_Arya had petted her beloved dog's soft fur until the end, she had been with her for the last few moments, pressed her nose into the fur between Nym's soft ears and whispered  
“I will never forget you, my darling. Everything will be fine, no more pain. I love you so much, everything will be fine, don't be afraid. ”_

_Only after, when it was done she cried.  
It had been Gendry who had driven her home. Gendry had escorted her to the vet and on the way home had held her hand and made gentle, soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. _

Arya looks up at Gendry expectantly. He had watched the scene with a smile, tilted his head slightly and buried his hands in the pockets of his quilted jacket.  
"Gendry? Who does the dog belong to? This can't be yours?"

The dog doesn't belong to him, does it? As good as he is with dogs, Arya knows Gendry isn't the greatest dog lover. She hadn't seen him for a while, but she can't imagine that he had changed so much over the months.

Gendry laughs and raises his hands.  
"No of course. No way that's my dog. You know me. In fact, she literally ran into my arms. I mucked out Stormy’s stable and then turned around and suddenly she was standing there. It's a girl, by the way. Of course, Stormy immediately took her to the heart. And so did I to be honest."

Stormy is a plump dapple gray mare, the oldest of Gendry’s horses. As an established farrier, he has a few horses himself.

_His family had lived in the area for generations and Gendry had learned the craft of blacksmithing from his uncle and had taken over the business. Of course, regular customers of the Waters family business also include the Stark family, also for generations.  
Jon and Gendry met at school and have been friends ever since. Of course, Gendry’s joy was huge when Jon moved back to Winterfell. _

_That's how Gendry and Arya knew each other, Gendry had always come to visit them at home or sometimes Jon had taken her with him when he went to visit Gendry and she was allowed to come to the smithy or watch Gendry training Stormy.  
She had been very young then and, to be honest, had eyes for Stormy more than for Gendry.  
After they moved away, and especially after Jon went north, they hadn't seen each other again for a long time._

_It was only on one of their visits to Jon that Gendry and Arya had run into each other again briefly and then they hadn't seen each other until Arya herself had moved into the area._

_And one snowy winter afternoon, it was Gendry who answered her desperate call, not Jon._

"She looks so much like her", says Arya with a husky voice before she smiles "Fell right into your arms, hmm?"

Gendry laughs at her comment and then in a more serious voice he says  
"Yes, I know I thought that too. They look very much alike."  
"What are you doing with her? You say she is not your dog?"  
"No she is not. I took her to the shelter. But somehow I can't get her out of my head and that's why I'm visiting today and going for a walk with her.  
She reminds me so much of your Nymeria. She is also very smart and observant and yes. I thought you had to get to know her, but I didn't want to fall in with the door ... or rather with the dog."

Again Gendry laughs nervously and scratches his head again before asking:  
"Would you like to walk with us for a while? Or do you need some more time for yourself here?" he adds, understandingly.  
"I hope that wasn't too much, as I said, I definitely didn't want to attack you. Please just say if you want your peace and quiet and I should go", he then adds, holds out his hand and presses her shoulder sympathetically.  
"I'm sorry if I made things worse for - "

"Gendry stop! I would like to take you up on that walk," Arya interrupts him and after Gendry has put the dog back on the leash – "Since no owners have reported and we don't know her name, we called her Snow for startes" - surprises him and herself alike and links their arms together, pressing her arm close to his body.

"Actually, I would love to walk with Snow and you. Lead the way", she says, feeling much lighter than she had ever thought possible on that day that she had dreaded so much.


	2. Chapter 2

Arya knocks off her shoes on the doorstep and clears them of mud and snow before she steps into the house, sinks onto the low bench and takes off her thick boots.  
She puts them back in the neat row of her other shoes by the door. Then she hangs the gray winter jacket on one of the hooks over it and goes into the kitchen in her warm woolen socks.

It is warm in the cozy kitchen and the last snowflakes that were still in her hair are now melting and running into thick drops at the ends of her hair.

A tea would be a good idea. Maybe with cinnamon to create a Christmas spirit.  
At Arya’s home, you can't see that Christmas is practically just around the corner. No decorated tree, no fairy lights, no cookie jars. Last year had been similar, at that time she had spent Christmas and what felt like half the winter with Jon - had taken care of her nieces and taken long walks - everything so as not to listen to the silence in the house at this time of year to be reminded of Nymeria at every corner or at every tree behind her house. The pain was still too fresh.

This year is different - only Christmas Eve and the holidays she will spend with Jon. To distract herself, Arya has taken on a particularly large number of assignments, to keep herself busy at this time of year to spend a lot of time thinking.

She takes a pot and begins to prepare everything for a punch, if something warm to drink, then a Christmas drink.

She cuts oranges and takes the bottle with the rum from the pantry.  
There is a knock at the door when Arya is pouring rum into the pot with concentration and startled, she pulls her head up and tips more rum than planned into the tea, over her hand, on the stove and also on the floor. She promptly skips to the side and steps into the puddle.

"Shit." Arya mutters, puts her little finger and ring finger in her mouth and licks the rum down, then runs to the sink to wash off the rest of the sticky liquid from her hands before making everything sticky on the way to the door.

It knocks again, slowly and like a question.

"Just a moment!" shouts Arya and while she is jumping off her sock she rushes to the door and opens it.

Gendry is standing on the porch, tall and looking a little embarrassed, his head pulled between his shoulders because of the cold wind and his hands in his coat pockets.  
"Gendry, hello again," Arya greets him surprised and steps aside to let him in.

He bends down a little as he steps over the threshold, then takes off his hat and Arya sees his gaze wander over the anteroom and the part of the living room, the typical inventory of a person looking around at a place they have visited often in the past and not been there for a long time.

Much hadn't changed, Arya knows that. She leans against the now closed front door, hands clasped behind her back and waits for him to finish his inspection and when he turns back to her and his blue eyes linger questioningly on her bare foot, she has to laugh.  
"Rum."  
"What?"  
"I spilled rum, was about to make a punch when you knocked."

Gendry seems to relax a bit, but Arya doesn't ask why.  
“You weren't always that scared, were you?” smiles Gendry and then asks “Oh is it a bad time ...? Are you expecting a visitor? "  
"Uh no. To be honest, I haven't had many visitors lately.", Arya says hesitantly, but a look in Gendry’s blue shows her that she doesn't have to explain anything and he nods to her. “I'm making punch to get in the Christmas mood. Thought I might finally hang up the fairy lights. "

She thinks for a moment. Then she dares and asks before she can change her mind: “If you want, you can you keep me company and have a glass of punch with me? I could use some help anyway, drinking alone is a bit sad. And then you can tell what brings you here. "  
Arya is not so naive as to think Gendry will just drop by. And from the way he holds his hat in his hand and messes with it embarrassed, it's obvious that he's got something on his mind.

A short time later they both sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace with a steaming cup of punch and watch the flames.  
They sip the cups in silence and Arya feels transported back to another time when it was not unusual to have Gendry sitting next to her on the couch.

The silence is common with him, too, is not new to her and feels familiar. Gendry is not a man of big words and Arya quickly realized how refreshing and calming she finds it.

Old Nan had told her again and again: “People with whom you can be quiet in peace are not like a dime a dozen. They are more like a beautiful shell in the sand that you look for a long time and that you only find with a lot of patience and a little luck. "

But Gendry’s shoulders are tense, his whole body is tense and Arya decides to take the first step and just as she says "So Gendry" he starts with "Arya, look."

They both pause and smile at each other.

"You first" she nods to him and he nods gratefully too.

“So Arya, I've been thinking. I know you told me otherwise, but I think you should keep that.”

He reaches into his trouser pocket, takes her hand and puts the item in it that he has just taken out.

It is a filigree chain with a horseshoe pendant. She hasn't seen this little piece of jewelry for two years, but she would have recognized the necklace anywhere.  
With her thumb and forefinger, she takes the pendant and looks at the careful handiwork. She knows exactly what is engraved on the back of the horseshoe. She doesn’t even have to look.

_November, two years ago._

_The day before her birthday._

_Actually, she hadn't planned anything special. A cozy evening at home, just with Nymeria on the couch, a good piece of chocolate cake for herself and a juicy piece of pig's ear for Nym. A glass of red wine with it, maybe a conversation on Skype with her parents and Rickon, then another with Jon, but certainly not more.  
A comedy maybe and then not going to bed late so she and Nym could go hiking in the Hollow Hills Mountains the next day._

_But of course everything had turned out differently._

_Nymeria was at least 15 years old at the time and unfortunately, Arya was just about to accept it, no longer the youngest._

_The day before Arya's birthday the dog had slipped on the black ice during her walk and broke her leg. Arya tried to carry Nymeria - but quickly realized that she couldn't._

_She panicked and dialed Jon’s number, but he didn’t answer._

_Arya no longer knew where her head was. Why had she moved to the country, exactly where no one else lived? Why hadn't she tried harder to get to know the few neighbors who lived in the area better? Why did she even live alone?  
She sank down on the forest floor next to Nymeria and propped her head on her right hand while she stroked Nymeria's fur with her left._

_Her cell phone vibrated - a message from Jon. "Sitting in the car with Ygritte and the girls, almost in Old Town, will be back on Sunday - everything okay?" Resigned, she lowered the cell phone._

_Some time went by and then she sighed and called the only person she could think of who might be nearby and willing to help._

_"Yes, Waters here?"  
" Hi there? Gendry? This is Arya speaking. "  
She was so confused that it wasn't until she heard his amazed, “Arya Stark? For real?”, that she realized that she had never dialed his number before._

_Over the phone she had heard his colleagues hammering and joking and whistling.  
“Quiet now, idiots", Gendry had shouted angrily and then she had heard a door slam shut and his voice now sounded very close and warm when he spoke in a lowered voice into the receiver and she could almost see how this steep line formed on her forehead (as it did in her childhood when he concentrated) when she told him in a tear-choked voice what had happened._

_"Where are you?" he had said and then goodbye with a brief "Stay where you are". She could just hear a quick "Thoros, I'm gone." before the line was dead._

_Arya had managed to pull Nymeria from the path to a small shelter, took off her jacket and put it over the panting dog. "It's okay, my friend. Help is on the way," she kept saying while patting Nymeria behind the ears._

_Gendry had appeared by her side after a short time. Maybe more time passed, Arya didn't know anymore. He had carefully picked up her and then Nymeria. He immediately took off his jacket and slung it around her shoulders._

_Arya couldn't remember that it had gotten cold, but she could still remember the dark blue sweater Gendry wore under his quilted jacket, which brought out his blue eyes particularly well._

_"Come on you icicle" he had said after lifting Nymeria in his arms._

_"My car is only a few minutes away."_

_His upper arms were visible under the blue sweater and what Arya had found so difficult - to lift Nymeria a short distance from the path to the shelter - looked to Gendry as if she weighed as little as a little chick._

_Gendry had been very strong as a teenager. Arya remembered going to Gendry's house with Jon as a young girl. Most of the time she hadn't said much and watched the interaction of the two with wide eyes, watching them wrestle._

_A little older she had sometimes come by alone, sat on the bench next to the barn door and kept Gendry company, watched him tending the horses, lifting bales of straw and throwing them into the boxes as if they weighed nothing. It had been especially fascinating for her when Gendry helped his uncle, the old blacksmith, with his work and was amazed at the ease with which he swung the hammer. Once she had been allowed to help and tried to lift the hammer and work the metal herself - Gendry had laughed heartily when she could barely lift the hammer._

_"What are you waiting for Arya? I hope the vet is still open." He called over his shoulder._

_When she started moving behind him, the first snowflakes fell from the sky._

_Nymeria was asleep by the fireplace, her right hind leg in a thick bandage._

_“She gave me such a scare. You should have heard it, Gendry. A crack and the whine afterwards. That went straight to my heart. "_

_“You scared me too, to be honest. Thought I couldn't believe my ears when I heard your voice. Then I thought maybe something happened to Jon. "  
"Yes. I've never called you before, that also occurred to me " she paused for a moment and then added "Thanks for your help. "_

_"Of course I am not happy about the circumstances, but I am honored that you thought of me - even if I am a little surprised."_

_“I haven't been living here long, you know. And I hardly know anyone, Jon is in Oldtown. I didn't want to leave Nym alone to go and get help, she looked so scared.”, Arya hesitated then continued "I'm also glad that I thought of you ... and I'm sorry that I didn't get in touch. We had a lot of fun when we were kids."_

_“Yes, of course. Even if you were just Jon’s plus one back then - and quite annoying. "_

_"Hey, I knocked you out while riding!"_

_"Right. You weren't always annoying. "_

_“Gendry? You know what I’d like? It would be nice to do that again. "_

_"Do you mean racing?"_

_"No! Or yes. Maybe even racing on the horses. But I just meant what we used to do. I've never seen you work since you became a blacksmith and now officially know what you're doing.”_

_“Yeah, right as if I didn’t know before what I was doing!” He shot her a glance. She had missed teasing him._

_"No, honestly, I'd like to see that."_

_"Okay, of course. Got a little better too. And stronger maybe, too."_

_"Well I can see that," she slipped and reflexively put her hand on his arm._

_Gendry’s eyes shot over to her, then lingered on her and Arya briefly thought to see something searching in his gaze. Embarrassed, Arya pulled her hand away. "Um, how you carried Nymeria I mean."_

_"Mhmh," Gendry muttered, then bent down to place the empty beer bottle on the floor next to hers._

_Then he turned to her. "You grew up too, Arry."_

_The look again and this time nobody looked away._

_All that was heard was the crackling of the fire and Arya realized how intimate the whole situation was. The two of them together on the sofa, under a blanket, the room only lit by the fire and the warm light from the lamp above the kitchen unit._

_Gendry seemed to be aware of this too, for his eyes took on a concentrated expression and studied her face carefully._

_Gendry had always been like that. Quiet and with an intense look._

_When she was a child, Arya had taken it as a given, it was just the way Gendry was._

_But now. She felt at the same time transported back in time and at home, only in this dark blue look. She felt safe and excited and the longer he looked at her, the warmer her cheeks became._

_She raised her hand and brushed her hair back to cool her cheeks discretely with her always cool fingers._

_Gendry still didn't look away and Arya bit her lower lip, embarrassed._

_Gendry’s gaze flickered to the movement._

_"You already did that as a young girl," he said with a smile._

_"I thought I am not a girl anymore?"_

_"Some things never change - I've always liked that about you."_

_This time she wasn't imagining it, she was sure of it. His gaze slid over her lips again and she now looked at him intensely without reserve._

_That had to be the beer. They had only seen each other briefly for years and then he rescued her and her dog, took her to the vet and then they sat together under a blanket in front of the fireplace. She was sure that when they sat down, they were sitting much further apart._

_Now they sat close together, so close that they wouldn’t need to bend far for their lips to -_

_"It's late I should go," Gendry cleared his throat just as Arya leaned over to him. He looked her straight in the eye and Arya understood it could have been a question too._

_"Oh okay." She said quickly and bent down to pick up the beer bottles. She was glad to be able to distract herself and avert her gaze because the embarrassment had made blush even more._

_Gendry got up and turned towards the anteroom. Arya followed him and put the beer bottles on the windowsill by the door._

_“Maybe it is better that way”, she thought, “I mean, we really haven't seen each other in ages, actually I don't know anything about him… I’m probably just overinterpreting the situation.  
This is Gendry, after all. Who knew me as a little girl and that’s what apparently I still am in his eyes.”, rushed through her head while she watched as Gendry laced his shoes._

_"Thanks for the sweater!" He said.  
Since he had covered Nymeria with his sweater in the car and it got wet, Arya had given him Jon’s sweater as soon as they got to her home. It was a little too tight on the shoulders for Gendry, but it was the largest item of clothing she could offer him and he was about to take it off._

_"It's freezing outside, you can borrow it," she began, but his head had already disappeared through the collar.  
"No, everything's fine" she could hear from inside the sweater and then “Fuck”, he was stuck and began to sway back and forth._

_Arya started giggling._

_"Arry please help me, it's fucking hot in here," laughed Gendry and Arya pulled on the sleeves._

_"Please bend down, you giant, otherwise I can't help you," she laughed and he went down on his knees so that she could pull the sleeves with more strength. Together they succeeded and then Gendry’s bright red, laughing head came to light.  
To Arya’s surprise and slight annoyance, they were almost at eye level even when he was kneeling on the floor._

_With the sweater still in hand, they realized how close their faces were now. The laughter died down and they exchanged a look before moving simultaneously and their lips met._

_The next few weeks were wonderful. Everything was easy with Gendry. She felt at home, happy and secure._

_She spent the mornings with Nymeria on the sofa, the afternoons with Gendry in his forge, in the paddock or on horseback, and the nights in his arms._

_One day he announced that he had a present for her. He took out a silver chain with a horseshoe pendant._

_“You make me so happy, Arya.”, he said when he put it on her neck._

_She took the horseshoe between her fingers and turned it around. On the back it read **“So that you always carry happiness with you. G."**_

_He brushed her hair to one side and pressed a soft kiss on her neck._

_That afternoon they had ridden bareback on Stormy together. He had hugged her from behind and she had snuggled against him with her eyes closed._

_And then everything turned out differently. Nymeria stopped eating._

_Two weeks later she was dead and all of a sudden Arya just felt emptiness._

_The loss of Nymeria brought back buried memories of her father and his traumatizing death._

_Gendry was an angel, but his patience with her was too much for her._

_She handed the necklace back to him. Assured him he would make another woman very happy._

Arya turns the chain between her fingers and now looks at the inscription after all, strokes it with her index finger.

"It's really beautiful, Gendry," whispers Arya. "But I do not understand? I told you that I can't give you what you want and what you deserve."

"But that's not just your decision," says Gendry firmly.

“Look, Arry. I know I am not the fastest and I often can't find the right words. Your decision back then hurt me, but I accepted it, I also thought to myself, this is the wrong time or it was just not supposed to work out between us.”, he lifts his gaze to hers and looks her straight in the eye.

“Now I know that was stupid. I should have fought for you, been there for you, no matter what and shouldn't have withdrawn. I wanted to be stubborn. That wasn't right.”, his eyes softened.

“This afternoon with you and Snow in the forest was wonderful.”, he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, in a very Gendry way “I miss you, Arya.”

Arya swallows. His honest words warm her.

“When I met Snow, it clicked, delayed.”, Gendry grins briefly, then gets serious again. “She immediately reminded me of Nymeria and the memories poured in on me like a flood and I realized, no matter how briefly we were together, that I was never - before or after - ever as happy as I was in this time with you.”, Gendry finishes these words with a sigh and Arya can clearly see the tension draining from his shoulders.

He looks at her big, puzzled eyes and before she can respond, he straightens up again and adds “I don't expect an answer from you now, but I wanted you to know that my feelings for you have not changed. And that's why I don't want the necklace I made for you back.  
After all, it was a gift and what I engraved for you on the back, I still mean it.”, when he ends, he takes her hand in his own and closes her fingers around the chain.

Instead of answering something, Arya puts her other hand on his and squeezes gently.

Then she moves closer to him, strokes the back of his hand, grabs his hand and turns it so that she can slide her fingers between his and gives him a grateful smile.

"I disagree. You know exactly how to express yourself.”, she says and lays her head on his shoulder.

He leans his head against her and hand in hand they look into the flames.

Arya wakes up early the next morning.

After Gendry left, she'd had more of the punch, turned up a Christmas playlist on Spotify and hung the fairy lights on the living room windows while she sang along the music.

She feels awake and refreshed.  
In the bathroom she brushes her chin-length hair and sees the little silver chain lying on the shelf. She gently strokes the horseshoe and smiles.

As she does every morning, she sits on the kitchen bench with her steaming coffee cup.  
She has switched on the fairy lights and is happy to see them as she lets her gaze wander into the living room.  
Her gaze wanders once more to the dog blanket and with a sigh she thinks of Nymeria. And little Snow. How happily she had wagged her tail as she ran across the snowy fields in front of Gendry and her. And how sadly her big eyes looked at her when she and Gendry left the shelter in the late afternoon. She looked up at her with her head tilted, as if to say "You are going home without me?"

The next morning, too, she couldn't get the dog with the soft fur out of her head, she had even dreamed of Snow. And of Gendry.  
The three of them had gone for a walk again, Arya and Gendry cozily walking arm in arm and when they left the forest Gendry had taken Snow on a leash, kissed her on the cheek and turned away.

"But home is that way!", she had called, but Gendry and Snow left, going in the other direction.

She had woken up confused, alone, neither Gendry nor Snow with her.

Her gaze wanders to the food bowl and the water bowl next to it. She looks at the pretty marbling and thinks of Nymeria’s happy slobber and then again of Snow’s shiny eyes.

Then she puts the cup on the table and jumps up.  
She grabs her bag with the car keys and her jacket and is almost out the front door when she bumps into something - or rather someone.

“Arry, where are you going so fast?” Gendry calls out with a laugh and hugs her.  
His eyes flash and his cheeks are red from the cold outside. She puts her arms around him and breathes in his familiar scent.

"Hey." She replies smiling into his chest. Then she looks up at him. "I've dreamed of you. And of Snow. I've been thinking and I'm on my way to the shelter to visit Snow. "

"You can save yourself the trip!", says Gendry happily, then he sticks his fingers in his mouth and whistles.

"What?", asks Arya when she hears rapid crunching in the snow and then scratching on the porch steps, then a brown-gray ball shoots towards her and makes Arya stagger back in the house.

She hears Gendry laugh happily when she goes to the ground with Snow and embraces her.

Then he follows her, closes the front door and sinks down next to her.

While Arya pats the joyfully panting Snow behind the ears, he pulls the gloves off his fingers and sits down more comfortably to be able to stroke Snow.

“The day after tomorrow is Christmas and I couldn't get Snow out of my head, as sad as she looked after us. I went there again yesterday and spoke to the people who run the animal shelter.”, he grins sheepishly “and then I just took her with me! Snow lives with me now."

“You did what?” shouts Arya. She can't believe her ears. Gendry, who took a long time to make decisions all the time and had never owned a dog - a dog owner, just like that? Unbelievable!

"Yes! Stormy is beside herself with joy, ”Gendry replies mischievously. "And me too! And who knows, maybe you would like to visit us every now and then? "

“Stupid, of course. Why do you think I was just leaving for the shelter? "

“Too slow again, Stark! Like in horse racing!”, he teases her.

She pushes him and he playfully rubs his arm while he laughs. She pushes him again and this time he pulls her close and brushes the cap from her head and the messy hair from her cuddling with Snow from her face.

Something gets caught in Arya’s hair and he opens his eyes in amazement when his fingers pull her hair out of the silver chain.

"You're wearing it again?”, he asks with a hopeful smile and looks up.

Arya gently cups his face between her hands and happily whispers, "My feelings for you haven't changed either, you know," before pressing her lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the beautiful support - I loved reading your beautiful comments dear readers ❤️
> 
> And again sorry @thereluctantbadger it took me ages to finish ! I hope you enjoy the second part of your gift ❤️


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